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addiction, the various populations at risk for the disease, current statistics and trends, and
psychological disorders that often accompany addiction. You will also find information on spotting
the signs and symptoms of substance use and hotlines for immediate assistance.

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In accordance with the American Society of Addiction Medicine, we offer information on
outcome-oriented treatment that adheres to an established continuum of care. In this section, you
will find information and resources related to evidence-based treatment models, counseling and
therapy and payment and insurance options.

Treatment for addiction takes many forms and depends on the needs of the
individual. In accordance with the American Society of Addiction Medicine, we offer
information on outcome-oriented treatment that adheres to an established continuum of
care. In this section, you will find information and resources related to evidence-based
treatment models, counseling and therapy and payment and insurance options.

The recovery process doesn't end after 90 days of treatment. The transition back to
life outside of rehab is fraught with the potential for relapse. Aftercare resources such as
12-step groups, sober living homes and support for family and friends promote a life rich with
rewarding relationships and meaning.

Our community offers unique perspectives on lifelong recovery and substance use
prevention, empowering others through stories of strength and courage. From people in active
recovery to advocates who have lost loved ones to the devastating disease of addiction, our
community understands the struggle and provides guidance born of personal experience.

While some drugs, such as marijuana, have a distinctive aroma, heroin is often odorless. When it does have a smell, heroin is most commonly described as having a vinegar-like odor. Heroin may smell differently depending on where it came from and what other chemicals are in it. It may also have a different smell if the heroin is snorted, injected or smoked.

Why Heroin Smells Like Vinegar

Heroin’s vinegar smell results from the way heroin is produced.

Heroin is made from morphine, which comes from the milky sap in the seeds of poppy plants. Manufacturers transform morphine into heroin, a much more potent opioid, by boiling it with the chemical acetic anhydride. A byproduct of this chemical reaction is acetic acid — the chemical that gives vinegar its distinctive smell.

Depending on how extensively heroin is purified, trace amounts of acetic acid often remain behind, giving the drug its characteristic vinegar odor. It’s that scent in heroin, in fact, that drug-sniffing police dogs are trained to detect.

Additives May Affect Odor

While vinegar is the most common scent associated with heroin, some people say the drug smells like Band-Aids, medicine, kitty litter or vitamins. Additives don’t only change what heroin looks like, but they may account for unique aromas.

Heroin is often mixed, or “cut,” with other unknown chemical substances so drug dealers can stretch their supply and maximize their profit. Common cutting agents include powdered sugar, milk, lactose, talc, vitamin B12, quinine, laxatives, caffeine and acetaminophen (Tylenol).

In recent years, though, dealers have gotten more creative with their cutting agents, creating sinister and sometimes deadly mixes that include diphenhydramine (Benadryl) or potent opioids such as fentanyl and carfentanil, which are hundreds to thousands of times stronger than morphine.

Some individuals in Philadelphia said the powder heroin in their city, which ranges in color from white to light brown, had no smell. Others described the drug as smelling like opium, chemicals, cat urine, kitty litter or whatever it was cut with, including vitamin B and multivitamins.

In San Francisco, a type of heroin called gunpowder heroin — which is a stickier version of black tar heroin — was described by some as smelling like chocolate. Others said it was odorless.

While most heroin purchased on the East Coast flows into the United States from Colombia, the West Coast’s heroin supply typically comes from Mexico. Different manufacturing processes in these countries likely account for the geographic differences in the smell, color and texture of heroin.

Does Fentanyl-Laced Heroin Smell Different?

They claimed that heroin laced with fentanyl has more of a powdery smell than heroin’s typical vinegary, acidic odor — though it’s unclear if this is actually true.

A 30-something Rhode Island man identified only as Carl told drug researchers he believes he can differentiate between pure heroin and heroin laced with fentanyl by its vinegary smell.

“If there’s a vinegary smell, you know that’s dope,” he said. “Fentanyl doesn’t have a smell when you sniff it. It tastes like you’re sniffing Tylenol. But then you’re destroyed afterwards.”

But in truth, there’s no way other than through scientific testing to find out what heroin actually contains.

Others in the study, including a woman named Sheryl with a “particular skill for spotting fentanyl-contaminated heroin” by its color, admitted there’s no real way to know what’s in a batch.

“No. No. You can’t tell,” she told researchers. “When you draw it up into the needle — nope. Can’t even tell.”

Does Smoked Heroin Smell Different?

People who snort or shoot heroin may also notice a different smell than those who smoke the drug.

Individuals who smoke heroin, which is also known as “chasing the dragon,” have described heroin as smelling like burnt brown sugar, sweet licorice, burnt barbecue sauce, sweet strong coffee and burning Band-Aids. It can also be odorless.

As a former journalist and a registered nurse, Amy draws on her clinical experience, compassion and storytelling skills to provide insight into the disease of addiction and treatment options. Amy has completed the American Psychiatric Nurses Association’s course on Effective Treatments for Opioid Use Disorder and continuing education on Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT). Amy is an advocate for patient- and family-centered care. She previously participated in Moffitt Cancer Center’s patient and family advisory program and was a speaker at the Institute of Patient-and Family-Centered Care’s 2015 national conference.